Some changes are for the better. Replacing an old clunker with a new car, for example, is a change for the better. Getting a pay raise at work is also an improvement.

Some changes are neutral, they make no real difference to you. A major retailer may strong-arm manufacturers into making packaging changes to take up less shelf space. This change may be meaningless to you, although the manufacturers are sure to put a positive marketing spin on it.

In a year when Democrats appear poised to take back the White House and increase their majorities in the U.S. Senate and House, we still can’t realistically expect to see any of those results in local Congressional races.

It’s been said that “there are no safe Republican incumbents anywhere” this year. But that’s nonsense.

When I was at Lynchburg College, I took a wonderful Constitutional Law class as part of my political science major. We studied a great number of U.S. Supreme Court cases, and not just the ones - such as Roe v. Wade - that we’ve all heard of, but other cases lesser known that led to more dramatic decisions.

Congressman Virgil Goode is right when he calls for a broad brush approach to energy. There is no magic bullet that will solve our energy needs.

The first thing we need to do is drill wherever oil may be found. The House "Democrats'" drilling bill falls well short on this count. It limits offshore drilling to beyond 50 miles from the coast and requires coastal states to agree. Otherwise, drilling is limited to beyond 100 miles from the shoreline. It doesn't provide for sharing royalty payments with these states, so they'll have no incentive to agree.